Zheng He: China And the Oceans in the Early Ming Dynasty, 1405-1433

This new biography part of Longmans World Biography series of the Chinese explorer Zheng He sheds new light on one of the most important what if questions of early modern history: why a technically advanced China did not follow the same path of development as the major European powers. Written by China scholar Edward L. Dreyer Zheng He outlines what is known of the eunuch Zheng Hes life and describes and analyzes the early 15th century voyages on the basis of the Chinese evidence. Locating the voyages firmly within the context of early Ming history itaddresses the political motives of Zheng Hes voyages and how they affected Chinas exclusive attitude to the outside world in subsequent centuries.